Letter-clip



UNITED STATES,

PATENTA OFFICE.

LEWIS E. OSBORN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

LETTER-CLIP. I

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. L12,683, dated May 10, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEwrs E. OsBoRN, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven a-nd State ot' Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Letter-Clips; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,'and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, ill- Figure 1, a top view; Fig. 2, a side view; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, longitudinal sections; Fig. 6, a view of the auxiliary clamp.

The same letters and characters in the several figures indicate like parts.

In the common letter-clip, when the clamp is raised for vthe purpose of inserting papers, the papers already in the clip are liable to slip out unless greatl care is exercised in the operation.

The principal object of my invention is to produce a lettervclip Without the liability to that trouble; and it consists in combining two clamps so that before one can be raised the other will be closed upon the papers in the clip with sufficient force to hold them in place, and the same lever which operates t0 close the one will, after closing the one, open the other.

To enable those skilled in the art to mak and use my improved letter-clip, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the clamp-plate, with ears E turned up upon each side to support the clamps and their operative mechanism. B is the principal clamp, hung at a, between the ears E, and is pressed down onto the clamp-plate by the action of the spring c, or its equivalent, in

' similar manner as in the common letter-clip.

D is a-n auxiliary clamp, which I make of wire, bentin to theproperform, (as see Fig. 6,) hinged to levers l), which have their fulcrums at e,

and one end turned outward (see Fig. 6) to extend through a slot, d, in the ears E, (see Fig. 2,) is held up in the position denoted in Fig. 2 by a spring, f, or its equivalent. F is the operating-lever, also hungin between the ears E, below the clamp B, its inner end ex tending in and bent so as to form a second arm, i, which bears against the levers b. The said lever F has a third arm, o, which operates to raise the principal clamp B. When it is desired to open the clamp to insert papers, press down upon the lever F, as see Fig. 4, which operation will close the auxiliary clamp D down upon the papers in the clip. The said clamp D is guided in its descent by the slot d. The use ofthe said slot is more particularly requiredin the ascent of the clamp D, as hereinafter shown. Press the lever F still further down, as see Fig. 5, and the principal clamps will be raised as shown in said Fig. 5. Now insert the papers under the principal clamp and far enough in to extend a little-say one-fourth to onehalf inch-over the auxiliary clamp; let go the lever F. The principal clamp will close upon the papers inserted, and the auxiliary clamp D will spring up from under the papers last inserted. In this operation the slotl d tends at tirst to draw the auxiliary clamp back from under the papers before it rises, and it may be formed so as to draw the said clamp entirely from under the papers before it begins its ascent. When at rest, the parts will be as in Fig. 3.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination and arrangement described of the clamps B and D with the lever F, in the manner and for the purpose herein substantially set forth.

LE WIS E. OSBORN.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, RUEUs SANFORD. 

